Bluffton’s Erik Nygaard, center, and Landon Armstrong pursue Spencerville’s Lanny Oakman early during Saturday’s Blue Jay Invitational at Stadium Park in Delphos. Jackelyn Johnson I The Lima News
Jackelyn Johnson I The Lima News
DELPHOS — One might think that after Columbus Grove graduated four seniors from last season’s fourth-place team at the Division III state cross country meet, the Bulldogs would be in a rebuilding mode this fall.
However, after the Columbus Grove boys team came away with the title at Saturday’s Blue Jay Invitational at Stadium Park, it looked like Columbus Grove was in a reloading mode, instead.
Columbus Grove’s pack was tight Saturday, as its top four runners placed in the top 10 overall spots. There were 134 finishers in the boys race.
Junior Luke Ellerbrock led the way for the Bulldogs with a sixth-place finish on the 5,000-meter course around Stadium Park, with a time of 17 minutes, 17.80 seconds. Ellerbrock was followed by teammates, junior Evan Pitts (seventh, 17:18.30), sophomore Bryce Bonifas (eighth, 17:21.50), senior Trent Koch (10th, 17:25.30), junior Logan Merschman (22nd, 18:07.60), senior Anden Blankemeyer (37th, 18:56.90) and freshman Braylon Best (38th, 18:57.50).
Columbus Grove finished with a team score of 53 points. Liberty-Benton finished second with 75 points. Lincolnview (86), Bluffton (114) and Van Wert (121) rounded out the top five squads in a field of 13 full teams.
Longtime Columbus Grove boys head coach Terry Schnipke said he set the bar high before summer conditioning started.
“I challenged them a little bit last spring, when we had our (preseason) meeting,” Schnipke said. “I kind of laid it out there. We talked a little bit about what tradition means.
“I had a bunch of young guys that I knew were going to be in the mix this season … I knew we had the top three studs back – Trent (Koch), Bryce (Bonifas) and Luke (Ellerbrock). … They were really good, and we knew they were coming back. Then, we had a lot of guys that had to make that step from JV (junior varsity) to being one of the guys in the top five. We had a great senior class (last season). … I loved those guys. I kind of told them (returners) that people are going to expect us to be down, and they’ll be gunning for us. I said, ‘You guys have a chance to prove that you’re still good.’”
Individually, Saturday’s boys race came down to four runners.
With about a mile to go in the race, Bluffton seniors Erik Nygaard and Landon Armstrong made a move and began to separate from the field.
Down the stretch, it was a sprint to the finish between Nygaard and Armstrong. Nygaard won it in 16:25.70, while his teammate finished second in 16:27.
Liberty-Benton’s Jackson Hochstettler (16:41.40) and Spencerville’s Lanny Oakman (16:52) finished third and fourth, respectively.
“Our plan was to go out and stay with him (Oakman), because we ran with him at the Spencerville All-Comers Meet (preseason race), and he blew us out of the water,” Nygaard said. “We didn’t know what to expect. So, (today) we just stuck with him (Oakman). I thought if I felt good at the two-mile (mark), I was going to take it out and see what happens.”
Armstrong knew that once Nygaard made a move, then he would have to go with him.
“Erik (Nygaard) started to pull away. So, I thought I had better go with him, or I was going to lose him,” Armstrong said with a grin.
Oakman, who led for a good portion of Saturday’s race, knew that Nygaard and Armstrong had very strong kicks.
“I knew it was going to happen (the kick to the finish), but my legs felt dead, going into the third mile,” Oakman said with a smile.
On the girls’ side Saturday, Anna’s Paige Steinke got out fast and it quickly turned into a race for second place, as Steinke won in a stellar time of 18:27.44.
Lincolnview freshman Brynleigh Moody finished second in a personal-best of 19:54.70. Kenton freshman Addi Manns was a close third (19:57.80).
Liberty-Benton won the girls team title Saturday, scoring 53 points. Lincolnview was second (70), while Van Wert (127), Delphos St. John’s (128) and Columbus Grove (131) rounded out the top five squads in the nine-team field.
“I had a race plan, that I was going to let that girl (Steinke) go, and focus on the girls behind me,” Moody said. “I just wanted to run well and help my team.”
Moody was coming off a win at last week’s Open Race at the Ohio High School Athletic Association Early Season Invitational at Fortress Obetz, where she clocked a time of 20:54.70.
Lincolnview’s pack of runners were close behind Moody on Saturday. Ava Milligan (fifth, 20:31.40), Keira Breese (15th, 21:31.80), Harper Reindel (26th, 22:31.50) and Olivia Snyder (28th, 22:44.80) rounded out the scorers (top five runners) for the Lancers.
Longtime Lincolnview head coach Matt Langdon was pleased on how his girls and boys teams ran Saturday.
“We ran well. … Our times were pretty good,” Langdon said. “I was very happy at how they raced. We’re excited about next week, when we go to Columbus Grove (Saturday’s Columbus Grove Invitational).
“We’re excited. Conner (Baldauf) was my top boy, today (ninth, 17:22.20). So, he knows he can run in the 16s; and the other guys aren’t far behind.”
Mark Altstaetter wrote this story for The Lima News. Reach The Lima News sports department at 567-242-0451.
